Johann Baptist Großschedl von Aicha (5 February 1577 – 1630s) was a German nobleman, alchemist and esoteric author. The German "von Aicha" is a later supposition from the Latin "ab Aicha" on his publications, which may be related to

Aiglsbach Aiglsbach is a town and municipality in the Lower Bavarian district of Kelheim, Germany, and a member of the Mainburg administrative partnership, a voluntary resource-pooling agreement with three neighbouring municipalities. Geography Aiglsbach ...

in Bavaria and the "Grossehedl von Perckhausen und Aiglspach" nobility, who originally came from

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

. He was born 1577, according to a manuscript of his horoscope extant in the British Museum. where he is also given the title ''eques romanus'' (Roman knight) suggesting a knight of the Germanic

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

, or

Freiherr (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...

, which suggests identification with the family of two Grossschedel brothers, "Gebrüdern Groschedel," of

, whose elevation to nobility was granted in 1623, and the family's noble status was confirmed to Franz von Großschedl by

Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria Maximilian, Maximillian or Maximiliaan (Maximilien in French) is a male given name. The name " Max" is considered a shortening of "Maximilian" as well as of several other names. List of people Monarchs *Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1459� ...

in 1691.Otto Titan Hefner ''Stammbuch des blühenden und abgestorbenen Adels in Deutschland'' Volume 2 - Page 68 - 1863 "Aiglspach, ursprünglich ein Bürgergeschlecht zn Regensburg, das im A. 1623 in den "Gebrüdern Groschedel" den Adelstand erhielt und in der Person des bayer. Landsassen „Franz Grosschedl v. Perckhausen und Aiglspach« von Kurfürst Max Emanuel ... 1691" Another surviving manuscript of his can be found within the Manchester Medical Manuscripts Collection held by special collections at the University of Manchester Library. The manuscript has the referenc
MMM/23/2/1
and contains elements of a pharmacopoeia as well as references to the role of the zodiac and the works of

Paracelsus Paracelsus (; ; 1493 – 24 September 1541), born Theophrastus von Hohenheim (full name Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim), was a Swiss physician, alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher of the German Renaissance. He w ...

and

Jean Beguin Jean Beguin (1550–1620) was an iatrochemist noted for his 1610 '' Tyrocinium Chymicum'' (Begin Chemistry)Digital edition, which many consider to be one of the first chemistry textbooks. In the 1615 edition of his textbook, Beguin made the first- ...

. He also uses the title ''eques romanus'' in this manuscript.

Works

* ''

Calendarium Naturale Magicum Perpetuum The ''Calendarium Naturale Magicum Perpetuum'' is a late renaissance (c.1619-1620) grimoire and esoteric print of calendar engravings. Its full title is ''Magnum Grimorium sive Calendarium Naturale Magicum Perpetuum Profundissimam Rerum Secretiss ...

'' - claiming to incorporate calendars by

Tycho Brahe Tycho Brahe ( ; born Tyge Ottesen Brahe; generally called Tycho (14 December 154624 October 1601) was a Danish astronomer, known for his comprehensive astronomical observations, generally considered to be the most accurate of his time. He was k ...

* ''Proteus Mercurialis Geminus, Exhibens Naturam Metallorum,'' Frankfurt 1629 * ''Trifolium Hermeticum, oder Hermetisches Kleeblat'' (on the hermetic

clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...

leaf) Frankfurt 1629

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grossschedel, Johann Baptist 1577 births German alchemists 1630s deaths 16th-century alchemists 17th-century alchemists